Freki was born with a cleft palate, a condition that leaves an opening between the nasal passages and the mouth. For dogs, it develops while they're still in their mother's womb, essentially keeping both sides of the palate from fusing.

"The main worry with cleft palate is aspiration pneumonia, which means when the puppies nurse or when they start to eat solid food and drink water it can go to the lungs instead of down the esophagus," Karri McCreary, a veterinarian at Vet Ranch, tells The Dodo. "That causes a terrible infection and without treatment that is usually fatal, and these pups don't live very long."

While Freki's cleft palate wasn't as severe as some cases, it likely would have spelled a short life for the puppy.